The International Staff- Student Experience

Angela Hammond&

Jackie Willis

IS Staff statistics• Africa - 24• Asia - 79• Australasia - 8• Europe - 215• Middle East and North Africa -11• North America - 37• South America – 9• Feb 2012 - 383 UH academics + researchers are from overseas• 164 are substantive, 160 are VLs, 59 are researchers

• 1641 in total for UH academics + researchers, so just under 25% (23.3%)

Aims

• to identify any specific needs that IS have upon arrival in the UK and working in HEIs

• to explore the contribution that IS have on L&T practices at UH – the internationalisation dimension

Research Methods

• Email sent to all staff, inviting IS to take part in an online survey.

• IS facilitators identified to lead focus groups and consultations held to prepare some questions

• Focus groups held followed by individual interview to prepare a case study

11. How different do you find the university system from your home country? No difference:

2.4% 2 Almost no difference:

4.8% 4 Minor differences:

25.3% 21 Major differences:

51.8% 43 Completely different:

15.7% 13 11.a. What did you find different?

System of degree classification:

n/a 39

Academic quality framework:

n/a 44

Organisation of modules:

n/a 47

Staff-student ratio:

n/a 37 Availability of

resources:

n/a 38

Use of Virtual Learning Environment (Studynet):

n/a 42

Other (please specify):

n/a 15

What do you find different about working in a UK university?

In the UK higher education is perceived as a market-oriented

business, whereas in home country higher education is perceived as a government-funded investment to

further the country's human resources.

Student aspirations - these seem to be lower here

More market-driven; less research focused.

In home country faculty members are regarded as the most valuable assets for a HE institution; whilst here it is the hardware

Degree courses are strictly regulated (almost School-like) Low

rate of failure (used to >50%).

Differences in L&T practice

1. Styles of assessment=2. Student expectations =2. Academic culture3. Staff-student interaction 4. Feedback practices 5. Teaching methods 6. Class size

14. What helped you to settle into a UK system? Friends/family already living in

the UK:

n/a 43

Colleagues at the university:

n/a 54 Compatriots at different

universities:

n/a 7

Local (School based) induction programme:

n/a 9

UH (Human Resources) induction programme:

n/a 12

The International Staff website (www.internationalstaff.ac.uk):

n/a 0

External resources (e.g. books, internet sites):

n/a 12

Other (please specify):

n/a 16

Support

14.a. What further support do you feel would have been useful? A mentor from the

discipline:

n/a 31

Dedicated induction programme for IS.:

n/a 25

In-sessional language support:

n/a 5

Role models/case studies:

n/a 15

IS discussion forum:

n/a 15 Other (please specify):

n/a 33

SupportThere are too few opportunities for staff (home or

international) to meet each other socially. There is no central index of names/photos and no department webpages where you can browse for

people.

Someone from the same cultural background to offer advice because

chances are the concerns will be the same.

I did have a mentor when I joined UH which was really useful.

16. Do you feel your cultural background and beliefs are reflected in your teaching? Yes:

67.5% 56 No:

32.5% 27

My students seem to enjoy this as part of diversity and multiculturalism

I occasionally give examples of coping with difficulties, which I think other

students from a different culture appreciate these tips. It is very well received as it shows

cultural diversity and knowledge appreciation at local/global level.

I think my cultural history of diversity in my home country has helped a lot with our diverse student body at UH.

17. Have you identified any issues in your working practice that you feel are because of your cultural origins? Students find it hard to understand me when I

speak:

n/a 4

I find it difficult to understand students

when they speak:

n/a 8

I 'm not used to asking students for their

opinions during classes:

n/a 2

I 'm not used to giving detailed feedback:

n/a 10

I expect to be the sole constructor of

knowledge:

n/a 4

Other (please specify):

n/a 61

Willingness of students to learn is not as strong as my country of origin is my

general observation. International students take more interest in advance

study than local.

I'm not sure how to treat the laziness and impoliteness of some students. It

would be useful to if there is a guideline with detailed examples.

Students are late for classes, missed classes, talking in class - lack of

respect for lecturers and classmates.

My communication with students has no problem. But sometimes I feel that

foreign students, especially overseas students, may expect English to teach

them.

I expect students to take more initiative in their learning process. I'm surprised how much I need to 'spoon-feed' them information

about homework and exams. In my culture students are more self-sufficient, take matters in their own hands and seem more serious

about their time at the university.

Experiences from working in multicultural environments.

Analytical thinking and problem solving abilities. Understand the feeling of isolation that a student might be experiencing away from their countries if international.

Perspective and the bigger picture. That the world is not the UK and

when we talk about 'international' it is not Europe and the USA.

Tolerance of people from all backgrounds, demonstrating to students that academics

come from a diverse background, encouraging students from all backgrounds to work together, using BME problem scenarios

in a positive rather than a negative way.

Teaching methods observed in other cultures (also outside my country of origin), conveying an attitude of high expectations towards my students

I think my cultural history of diversity in my home country has helped a lot with our diverse student body at UH. I think I feel more comfortable amongst our diverse

student body than some of my colleagues appear to.

Case Study:Chantal HelmCountry of Origin: South AfricaPost: Lecturer, Geography & Environmental ManagementWhat did you find very different in the UKfrom university in your home country?Securing a place at university is a privilege in South Africa so it is normally only those students who can afford it and have good grades that have a place. The number of students who fail their first year is high. There is good support for students at UH and the resources are excellent. There is no VLE in South Africa, so Studynet is excellent.What are you able to bring from your own experience and cultural background into the classroom?I lecture in ecology and like to hold class debates. In South Africa DDT is still in use, which is controversial because of its impact on wildlife, but people die from malaria so it is saving lives. Students enjoy discussing this topic as they know it is a real issue in my home country.

Acknowledgements

• This work has been supported by a HEA Teaching Development Grant

• We are grateful to international staff at the university who have participated in the survey and as facilitators and participants of focus groups

• Follow our blog: internationalstaff.wordpress.com